


One More Drink

by The_Tevinter_Biscuit



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cats, College Kid Levi, Drama, Drinking to Cope, Drunkenness, Erwin is a bartender, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Trauma, eventual smut probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-03-07 14:46:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3176410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Tevinter_Biscuit/pseuds/The_Tevinter_Biscuit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Engineering major Levi has made drinking a daily habit after his break-up with Hanji Zoe. It just so happens that through his excessive drinking, the new bartender is more than willing to dive into his life.</p><p>DISCONTINUED</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bar

 

It wasn’t a problem, as far as he was concerned. A couple drinks here and there meant nothing in his eyes. This was just normal behaviour of college kids, although he supposed generally there’d be more people he knew if it were a normal instance.

There was a musky smell in the air as he pushed open the door to the bar, he should probably be writing that engineering paper that’s due in soon. Who cared about that crap anyway? There was one thing on his mind and that wasn’t the scratches in the wood of the barstool legs, nor was it anything to do with material structure which in theory, _should_ be on his mind. All he cared about now was sitting down and shoving as many bottles of beers down his throat as he could. Perhaps a couple shots of tequila would do a better job.

Levi sat down, sniffling a little since he’d left the freezing cold of the winter weather outside. The bar was warm, at least it felt like a much better heat supply compared to the stale walls of the college down the block.

He tugged at his scarf; tight around his neck. He barely left anywhere without it and he insisted it was cream, not white. It was a nice contrast to his dark hair, it might as well be black which in itself, just made his pale complexion all the more noticeable. Some even compared him to a vampire, he supposed that the purple from sleep deprivation didn’t help at all.

“Usual please.” Was the first thing he said as he leant his arms on the bar, looking the opposite way as he was clearly distracted by the band badly playing in the corner of the room.

“Excuse me?” came the unfamiliar voice from the other side of the bar. Levi turned his head to see a strange face to match that strange voice. He’d never seen this man before, which was bizarre, he had to be new. His beady eyes looked him over.

A strong jawline, was the first thing Levi noticed, thick, bushy eyebrows that could probably kill a man. Levi inwardly chucked to himself. His square face matched up nicely with his broad shoulders. He couldn’t tell what colour his eyes were from this distance but they looked blue. The way his short blond hair was neatly combed and pushed aside made his own look like a state. When did he start feeling self-conscious of his own appearance? He was sat at a bar on a Thursday night for God’s sake.

“Sorry this is my first day,” that confirmed it then. Levi’s eyes trailed down to the name-tag on his waistcoat. Erwin. He certainly had a bashful smile that could give one diabetes, Levi thought. “If you’re a regular then I’ll make sure I remember your order for next time. Though, you’ll have to tell me what it is first.”

Levi clicked his tongue, this guy seemed the chatty type. He hated chatty, whilst he was sober at least. Hanji always claimed that he was hypocritical for saying he disliked people who talked a lot because he was one to gain verbal diarrhoea when he drank.

“The strongest beer you got, on draft please.” He told him, somewhat bitterly. Erwin nodded and turned around to pour his drink. Levi leaned his cheek on his fist as he turned to look in any direction but the new bartender’s.

“Here you go.” Erwin suddenly said, sliding a glass across the bar after a few minutes and making Levi jump out of his skin. He spared another glance at the man before wrapping his long bony fingers around the cold glass.

After taking a couple sips, Levi found himself thinking about Hanji again. They had broken up not too long ago, not that it really affected their relationship much, and they were still friends after all. She was a biology major and she’d been seeing some guy in her class called – what was his name again? M…M something. He couldn’t be bothered to think right now. That had been the end of that.

He’d made an oath to himself not to chase after any more women. Hanji had tried to convince him that Petra would be a safe bet, the girl was head over heels for him after all but Levi had shook his head. She was kind and sweet but not for him, he was too much of a mess for someone like her to deal with. Although going on a guy hunt was another matter entirely.

He tried to think about all the guys he knew, which in reality, was rather slim. Slowly, he took another large gulp of the beer, running his tongue over his lip to catch some of the frothy head. Most guys were either straight, taken, not his type or just out of the question entirely. That Jaeger kid was pretty cute – but Levi didn’t think he could date a freshman.

“Bartender!” Levi called, once he finished his drink. He turned around to seek out the location of the new face. He supposed he shouldn’t have been so surprised to see him talking to a couple young women at the other end of the bar. They couldn’t have been much older or younger than himself, heavy make-up and short skirts, giggling as they hung onto Erwin’s every word. Levi rolled his eyes, with such a pretty face, he should’ve know he’d be a ladies man.

He was probably an asshole, he was too attractive to not be one. Perhaps he wasn’t even that hot, maybe Levi was just desperate. The possibility of this made Levi cringe.

“Ah, what can I get you?” Levi snapped out of his thoughts when he realised Erwin had quickly diverted his attention back to him. That was quick.

“Another.” He stated flatly, pushing his glass aside. Erwin gave him that sickly smile and went to pour him another drink.

Levi sighed and ran one of his hands through his hair, dishevelling it. He needed a haircut and soon, it was starting to bother his eyes.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Erwin asked as he gave the stressed-looking man his drink who in turn, shook his head. “Oh really?”

“Yeah.” Levi would have to get a few more drinks down him before he could feel the obligation to actually talk back to this man. He knew he was just trying to be sociable, it was hard on the first day of a job. You’d think he’d take the hint.

Luckily for him, Erwin didn’t bother questioning him anymore on it. He figured he might’ve realised that he wouldn’t talk, at least, not until he’d drank more. Though the silence in Levi’s head just allowed him for more time to think and that was the last thing he wanted to be doing right now. It was an empty silence that in reality was rather peculiar due to the loud banging of the bass in the music and the meaningless chatter of those around him.

So drink after drink, he shoved them down. After many glasses, he could start to feel that heavy buzz in his head.

“Are you okay?” Erwin suddenly started speaking to him again now the girls on the end had left to go dance.

“Great actually.” he chimed, perhaps a little too eagerly. He took a sip from his glass. Erwin furrowed his eyebrows.

“Have you got a ride?” he questioned, genuinely concerned. Levi chuckled as he set the now empty glass back on the bar. He waved his hand in the air.

“’s fine, the college is only down the block. I can make it. I’m a big boy.” He said sarcastically. Erwin leaned back from bending over the bar to look at him closer. At first, Levi considered that this jerk had no sense of humour whatsoever. But then, he chuckled.

“Alright if you say so.”

“In the meantime, uhh…Errrr-win, that’s your name right? Get me another glass.” He demanded, pushing his glass towards him on the bar and pointing at his name-tag.

“You can read that’s a good sign.” He replied with a smile, picking up his glass. “I’m surprised you can afford to pay for this, college is demanding isn’t it?”

Silently, Levi wondered how old this guy was.

“Mmm, yeah. I’ll live.” He mused, drumming his fingers on the wooden surface and itching for another sip of that alcohol. Just one more wouldn’t hurt, is basically what he lived by. He kept saying that after every drink and then he knew he’d regret it in the morning because that one drink was one drink too many. Instead of feeling the bliss of tipsy, he’d just get the feeling as if a dog had shit all over his day.

Some college kids would have the rich parents to pay for anything they wanted. Money wasn’t even an issue. Levi wondered what that was like. He didn’t even speak to his own parents anymore, not that he particularly wanted to either.

Once Erwin had passed him a refill, he didn’t really remember much more of that night.

Next thing Levi knew he was laying on his bed in his college dormitory, vision hazy and an uncomfortable swimming in his stomach. He groaned when he registered the sound of knocking at his door. Who was that and why was they making his headache even worse?

“Levi!” came Hanji’s voice from the other side of the door. He should’ve guessed.

He groaned as he sat up and the movement did nothing to ease the nausea. He had to still himself in fear of throwing up all over the sheets. But the putrid stench coming from the en-suite bathroom was making him feel like he really was going to puke.

This situation was hardly unfamiliar. Slowly, he managed to pull himself together and get out of bed. He was still wearing his wrinkled dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, a pair of skinny jeans clinging desperately to his legs and the cream scarf hung loosely around his neck.

“Jesus Christ Hanji calm the fuck down.” He remarked as he swung the door open and came face to face with the straight face of the woman in the doorway. Her glasses were beginning to slip down the bridge of her flat nose and her brown hair which was tied up in a ponytail was more messy than usual.

“I need to calm down?” she exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. “Petra said you didn’t come to class today.”

“What are you, my mother?” he retorted, running his fingers through his hair. “And since when were you all buddy-buddy with Petra?”

“Petra is _sweet,_ you should give her a chance you know.” She replied, shoving past him and making her way inside the dormitory without saying another word.

“Not interested, we talked about this.” Levi sighed, closing the door. He was use to this reckless behaviour by now. After being friends with Hanji since he was a freshman, he got use to her shenanigans. Even more so when he dated her for 6 months.

“My God Levi, it reeks in here! And you complain about _my_ hygiene.” She spouted, throwing her hands in the air, looking around for the source of the terrible smell. Suddenly, realisation hit her like a tonne of bricks. She turned around quickly on her heels and leaned closer to the shorter man. “Aha! Alcohol breath!”

“Fucks sake, I haven’t had a chance to sort anything out okay? When I woke up you were rattling on my fucking door. Cut me some slack,” He spat. He was more sour than usual, he didn’t even know if Hanji knew she was partly to blame for his drinking problems. “And quieten down, or my head might actually explode. Your voice is more annoying than usual today.”

“Oh right,” she said, putting her finger on her lips. “Shhh, old man only just woke up.”

Levi rolled his eyes.

“Is that all you have to tell me?” he said softly, wishing for her to leave soon so he could shove some painkillers down his throat and clean up. Hanji thought about it.

“Next time, take me drinking with you. I’ll get outa your hair for now but I’ll be back later and I want all the gossip!” she seemed to pay no mind to his warning about volume. Levi winced.

“Right.” He replied, whatever would get her to leave. Hanji beamed at him; flashing her teeth.

She waved at him as she left the room and let the poor man rid his bathroom of the putrid stench and down a couple pills to ease the pain.


	2. Hanji Zoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi receives another visit from Hanji and he ends up at the bar again the coming Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may seem like this fic is very Levihan, but bear with me, we'll get there.

Levi thought he did a pretty good job of cleaning himself up. Once he’d cleaned up the bathroom a couple times (he had ended up puking and wasted those painkillers), he had quickly rid himself of yesterday’s alcohol-smelling clothes and jumped into a warm bath. Laying back in the tub was quite relaxing and by then his nausea had pretty much died down.

He’d have to worry about the rage of his Engineering professor soon enough, his class-skipping was rather notorious. It wasn’t like he was a particularly bad kid, he was smart and didn’t cause too much trouble considering there was no reason for him to, unlike high school for example. If you smoked or drank, nobody cared in College. There was not much a social stigma, so Levi just fit in fine.

Drying his hair with a towel and wrapping it around his neck, he walked back into his room. The smell of clean sheets was delightful, he was glad he did the laundry the other day so fresh sheets were available to him. So he sat down on his bed and picked up his laptop so he could start working on that paper.

Skipping drinking that night was at the front of his mind. Friday nights were rowdy and when the rest of the college students went out to drink. It wasn’t his scene at all.

He groaned as he struggled to think of much to write, now was the _worst_ time for this.

It had gotten late by the time he had written a couple pages. He stared dully at the screen, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Until he got a loud knock on his door – Hanji. That’s right, she had told him she was going to be bothering him later. Although, this was a little later than late. What was she up to? At least he didn’t have the headache to fuel any anger towards her.

Without asking, she stormed into the room, grinning once again. Levi took his laptop off his lap and put it on the covers beside him. Taking one more glance at it, he decided to close the lid.

“Levi! You promised me gossip!” she announced, happily shrugging off her brown jacket and throwing it on Levi’s bed where she then placed herself.

“There is no gossip.” He replied bluntly, shuffling himself closer to one end of the bed to retain some of his personal space. She pouted at him.

“There’s _always_ gossip! Oh! I also wanted to ask if you wanted to actually not look like a total loser when you go drinking tonight.” She said, staring right at him.

He cocked his eyebrow at her. He knew she was up to something from the minute she’d walked into the room.

“I’m not going drinking.” He told her and he could barely finish his sentence before she gasped loudly. Dramatically loudly. He looked up and saw her staring at him wide-eyed, her hand on her chest as if she were going to have a heart-attack and die any minute. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

“The great Levi! Not going drinking! You’ve drank almost every night for the last month! Are you finally getting over what’s bothering you? Or are you realising there’s more to life than alcohol?” She definitely talked too much.

“It’s got nothing to do with any of that. I just don’t like drinking on Friday’s. The bar is packed with gross snotty kids.” He retorted. She giggled.

“You _are_ a kid Levi.”

“Yeah but I’m not gross or snotty, and also I have more than two brain cells.”

“I don’t know about that, you were pretty gross this morning. Plus, you drink too, you’re kind of just digging your own grave here buddy.”

By this time Levi had picked up one of his pillows from behind him and threw it at her face, knocking her glasses askew but she laughed anyway. She always did. Hanji didn’t care about anything and at first Levi thought that was endearing. It must be nice to be care-free, he had thought. Maybe that’s why he’d become to “stuck-up”, maybe it was a copying act. However it seemed the only way he could fake that sort of attitude was to become a douche. The day he realised that, was the day he realised a lot of things about humanity.

“So how’s your guy hunt coming along if Petra is still out of the question?” Hanji questioned, pulling the pillow away from her face and tossing it aside. Levi pulled a face.

“Nothing special is happening. There’d be no point in giving any of them a second look.” He answered, leaning back against the sheets and inhaling their fresh scent. He gazed up at the ceiling instead of looking at Hanji.

“Not even that Eren Jaeger kid? I thought he was nice.” She suggested, kicking off her shoes and pulling her leg up on the bed. Levi took no notice, had he noticed, he might’ve complained for her to get her smelly feet off his fresh covers.

“He’s also a freshman. I can’t date a freshman Hanji, he’s too young and…” he paused.

“Inexperienced?” Hanji filled in the gap. Levi nodded. He didn’t like kids anyway. It seemed like a much longer time since he had been a freshman than how long it’d actually been in reality. “I don’t know, maybe you should give it a shot, you never know.”

“Somehow I doubt it. It wouldn’t last a day, that I’m certain of.” He was confident in his answer.

“Oh.”

There was a pregnant silence in the room after that. This was honestly what Levi liked about Hanji. Whilst she was bumbling with personality and she was very pretty – the two of them could sit in silence for what felt like forever. He knew she was too good for him anyway. If she weren’t, he wouldn’t be drinking as much as he was.

There didn’t have to be words with her. Levi wasn’t much of a talker, the quiet was his own personal domain.

Then Hanji’s phone buzzed from her jacket pocket, breaking the silence. She jumped a little at the noise before she reached to pull her smartphone from her pocket. He watched her as she read through what seemed to be a text message.

“It’s from Mobilt,” She told him. Moblit. That was his name. “I’ll have to leave soon.”

“You can leave now, I have a paper to finish.” Levi said but he didn’t mean it. He was quite enjoying Hanji’s company to tell the truth. Though, he did have a paper to finish or he seriously was going suffer through his grades falling through the floor.

Hanji turned to look at him after she had text her boyfriend back. She shoved it back in the same pocket of her jacket and then slung the material over her shoulder.

“Are you sure?” she asked. Levi nodded. “I just got here you know.”

“It’s fine.” He replied, lying through his teeth. She smiled at him and he found it hard to stay mad at her.

“Well okay then. Mobilt and I are going to go out to the bar in a bit, come along once you’ve finished your paper if you like.” She offered, putting her shoes back on and grinning at him.

“No promises.” He said simply in response before waving as she walked out the door just as quickly as she’d walked out his life. Levi sighed. So it had turned out Moblit was going to that little bar get-together then. Even if he had felt up for a couple shots, he’d just end up being a third wheel and sat awkwardly whilst they shoved their tongues down each other’s throats. Gross.

He made a mental note that perhaps he should get invest in a mini-fridge and stock it with beers. Writing this paper on material structure might’ve been a little easier then.

Picking his laptop back up and opening it, he desperately tried to continue where he’d left off.

 

 

Once the week-end had blown over, Levi went back to the bar again. He sat in his regular scratched up barstool and leaned his arms on the bar top. That hot guy was serving again, looking at him completely sober just re-established that he was in fact attractive. It wasn’t his beer goggles after all.

In the back of his mind, Levi wondered if he’d remember him. He probably had many customers and so much demand because of his dashing good looks that he wouldn’t. Somehow, Levi managed to convince himself that he wished to be remembered just so he wouldn’t have to actually ask for his drink this time around. It definitely had nothing to do with being a lonely, desperate college kid with nothing better to do than brood around in a bar where he could drink himself sick.

Even his negative vibe didn’t seem to warn off this bartender. However, Levi did get a little concerned when he chuckled upon sight of him.

“Well look who it is, hello again.” Erwin greeted him, finishing off cleaning a glass in his hands. He set it down behind him. Levi’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Hello.” He replied slowly.

“The usual again today I take it?” he questioned.

“Yes.” Levi answered.

Erwin was suspiciously cheery. Was he always like this? Levi wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer to that. He smiled at him as he turned to pour his drink.

Levi waited patiently for his drink, the bass of the significantly better music was ringing in his head. The vibrations were rocking the legs of his barstool. He liked the music on a Monday night because after all, who came to a bar on a Monday night? So the room was less full and the music was better. Levi liked the more raw music anyway.

“Here you go.” Erwin said, making Levi jump out of his skin once again. He turned back around and took hold of the drink.

“Thanks.” He thanked him politely, taking his first sip without hesitation. Erwin didn’t move his spot, there wasn’t many customers today so it was understandable that he didn’t have much else to do. Though, the way he was just stood there was a little creepy.

“Are you from the college down the block?” he suddenly asked.

Oh boy. Levi wasn’t drunk enough for chit-chat with strangers.

“Yes.” He tried to keep his answers short and brief, mindlessly distracting himself by drinking large gulps of the alcohol in his hands. His shifted his legs awkwardly on the barstool.

“Then don’t you have better things to do than get drunk on a Monday night?” The honest look on his face enraged him. Levi huffed, staring into the way his drink swirled against the vibrations of the music.

Who was he to judge anything about his life? He didn’t know who he was or what he was going to. Then Levi realised that maybe it was just small talk and that’s what normal people did. He never was a big fan of it though, he had to admit. He shouldn’t look too far into what the man said, he was probably just bored.

“Who said I’m here to get drunk?” he answered. It was true, most nights he wasn’t at a bar to get drunk as bizarre as that sounded. He just liked the taste of alcohol for one and every night it was the same mantra – one more drink won’t hurt. That’s what he always said. Next thing he knew he woke up somewhere smelling of puke and alcohol.

Erwin shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

“I just assumed. That’s what most people do and you were pretty shit-faced on Thursday.” He explained, snickering a little. Ah, Levi almost forgot. Well, that was only half-true. Since he had actually forgotten half of the events of Thursday night due to his drunk-ness. He sincerely hoped he hadn’t done or said anything stupid.

“Oh. Fair enough.” He didn’t feel like arguing as he took another sip of his alcohol. At some point he decided that drinking his beverage quicker would help him to get out of the awkward conversation with this stranger. In reality, he was just going to get drunk quicker.

“So what do you major in?” This guy sure was nosy.

“Engineering.”

“Oh, sounds tough.”

“Mhmm.”

“Don’t you have any friends to drink with?”

“I can handle myself.”

That’s where the conversation ended. Erwin decided to ask no more questions and Levi wondered if it was because of his negative vibe. He’d gone through 2 drinks now and if he didn’t stop talking soon, he’ll have downed the whole bar supply of beer before it hit midnight. Considering it was ticking around half 11, that a pretty large amount of alcohol.

“If you need anything let me know.” Erwin said after the pause and Levi almost spat out his drink. He was about to protest when the chime of someone walking through the door sounded and a middle-aged man came and sat at the other end of the bar.

Erwin had left to serve him.

And Levi, the poor guy, was left roughly swallowing the alcohol he almost spat and rubbing at his lips with a napkin in case of dribble.


	3. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi ends up on the receiving end of a little spat at the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, here is the next chapter!

“I expected better from you Levi.” Levi inwardly groaned as his engineering professor lectured him. He’d been pulled aside at the end of class to talk about his latest paper. Apparently, he wasn’t too happy about it and Levi could understand why – it was pretty half-assed. That wasn’t the point though, he wasn’t sure how much of this guy’s bitching he could take.

“Sorry.” He hissed, trying his best to not sound like he was being sarcastic. The professor put the paper on his desk and stared at him with those beady eyes of his.

“What on Earth has been the matter lately? Skipping class, turning in mediocre papers. Is something wrong?” he questioned, leaning back in his chair. This was getting a little too personal for Levi’s own comfort.

“No, I’m alright thank you. Maybe I just haven’t been thinking straight, I’ll do better next time.” Levi made up a solid excuse. He’d rather this guy didn’t delve into his private life. He knew he was only trying to help him but quite frankly he could feel a headache building.

“I hope so, wouldn’t want your grade to slip.”

Fuck you Hanji, was all he could think as he left the room once he had been dismissed. He was in a particular foul mood today, there was nothing more humiliating than getting criticized. In the least, he wouldn’t have to worry about anymore papers until next semester. He just wanted to get home and crawl into bed.

Once he unlocked the door of his apartment, he was happy to flop onto the mattress and unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt to let him breathe. His stomach grumbled hopelessly but he couldn’t work up the effort to get something to eat. He supposed he could go to the little café across the road. However, he came to face the fact that it wasn’t going to happen. Any energy that was there could be felt drifting away with the comfort.

Slowly, he rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. A nap wouldn’t hurt.

 

Playing with the cool glass in his hands, he was never sure how it happened. Somehow, it had run back around to another Thursday night and he was still sat on the same barstool. That Erwin guy was serving again, he was starting to get used to seeing his face and apparently the notion was mutual. Every time he walked in he’d smile at him and it was beginning to grate on his nerves a little.

When he’d gone to serve someone else and Levi was quite contentedly on his third glass of the evening, he turned around on his barstool and leaned with his back to the bar. He observed his surroundings in silence, pressing the glass to his lips and taking a sip.

It was more lively than usual, people littered the dancefloor. Levi could hardly hear himself think over the booming bass and the yelling of people talking to one another. They seemed to be screaming at the top of their lungs just to talk to the person next to them.

Levi turned a little, looking to his right and just about to place his drink on the bar surface when a heavy weight pushed into him. He drew his eyes downwards, realising that his drink had spilled on his white shirt and a little on his jeans.

“Hey, watch it.” He exclaimed, scowling at the man who had stepped back into him. Said man turned around to look at him, he was tall and rather broad with the fuzz of facial hair scattered on his chin.

“What did you just say to me?” his voice was deep and demanding. Was he trying to be threatening? Levi couldn’t stand people trying to act tougher than they were. All he wanted was a small apology and it could be forgotten about. Although he supposed that wasn’t going to pay his dry-cleaning bill.

“I said watch it! The whole bar’s not your kingdom asshole.” It just slipped out.

The man rolled up his sleeves and glared at him. His eyebrows were furrowed so hard they were leaving creases on his skin.

“Who the fuck do you think you are squirt?” he said in a reprimanding tone. Levi scoffed in the back of his throat, who was he calling squirt? At a mere 5’3’’ft, Levi realised he was on the shorter side. That wasn’t the problem though. It was the next line that burst out his mouth. “Are you sure you’re old enough to be in here?”

“I’m 21, get off your fucking high horse.” Levi spat, setting the spilled drink on the bar and wiping his liquid-covered hand.

“Don’t talk to me that way you little brat.” This guy was just asking for a fight, speaking of which, Levi soon felt himself hurled off his seat by the man grabbing him by his shirt collar. He glared at him, grabbing his hand and shoving it away from him.

Straight after, he laughed. The man pushed Levi causing his back to collide with the bar, now attracting the attention of other people in the bar. This guy was surely asking for it.

“Are you okay?” came an echoing familiar voice perhaps half an hour later. Levi’s eyes fluttered open and he looked ahead to see Erwin crouching before him. He looked at him with concern and Levi had to take a double-take to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.

Soon enough he registered the cold, numb feeling on the side of his face. All became apparent when he saw Erwin retract a bag of ice away from his face. It took a moment for the pain to register.

“What happened? Where is this?” he asked, slurring his words a little make it seem a little like he was in a drunken stupor. Erwin frowned, setting the bag of ice on a nearby surface. Levi looked around, it didn’t seem like the bar. There were boxes everywhere and the light was flickering dimly in the room.

“This is the back room. It’s still the bar,” Erwin explained. “You had a bar fight with that tall guy, you put up quite a fight – I was surprised. He…knocked you clean out however, got him kicked out. You have a pretty nasty black eye.”

“Fuck.” Was the only thing that escaped Levi’s lips as he put his hand up to feel the area he’d been struck only to be met with a stinging pain that helped the memories come back to him. To his surprise, Erwin chuckled.

The bartender got up and walked to the other side of the room, he fished through a box before pulling out a small, old-fashioned mirror. He tilted it towards Levi, allowing him to have a look at the damage that had been done to his face. Levi squinted as he stared at his own reflection. Sure enough, there was a big nasty bruise on the side of his face and his eye looked rather puffy and swollen.

“You’ve been unconscious for the last 5 minutes. I’m shocked you woke up so fast, is there anyone who can take you to the hospital?” Erwin asked, taking the mirror back. Levi’s fingers made fists.

“The hospital? I don’t need to go to the hospital.” He retorted. Erwin shook his head.

“You should be taken to the ER just in case. It’s not a good sign if you passed out from the blow.” He told him, expressing concern. Levi laughed at him.

“What are you, a doctor?” he mocked, attempting to push himself up from the ratty old couch he had been sat on when Erwin had been tending to him. He figured he must’ve been dragged or carried in here by him. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do about this injury, he’d had fights and accidents in the past but this one was blatantly obvious and people were going to notice and ask questions.

“No, but I did military work for a while.” Erwin replied with a wry smile. Levi was taken aback, he hoped he hadn’t hit a sore spot. _Couldn’t be anymore sore than his face right now_ , he thought with a snicker.

Levi just nodded, fishing around in his pocket for his phone and scrolling through his contacts. Was there anyone he could call? He didn’t really have many friends. Hanji seemed like the best bet, he didn’t really fancy bothering the eccentric woman at this hour nor dealing with her lecturing on his health. He’d had other friends once upon a time, he often wondered whatever happened to Isabel and Farlan when he’d moved. Friends just never end up staying in touch and that was the cruel reality of it.

With a sigh, he gave up. It was Hanji or nothing. Erwin leaned against the table-top, watching him as he rang the brunette and waited for her to pick up the phone. However, he was just met with the dial-tone.

“Bitch…” he grumbled as he glared at his phone and shoved the phone back in his pocket with a frustrated puff of air. It was all her fault he was here anyway.

“No one can take you?” Erwin suddenly spoke up. Levi looked at him, flopping back on the couch. He shook his head. “Guess it’s up to me then.”

“As if I’m getting in the car with some weirdo like you. I don’t need to go to ER, I’ll be fine.” He said with a snort of laughter. Erwin only sighed.

“I have no other choice.”

“What-hey!”

Without another word, Erwin had grabbed Levi and hauled him over his shoulder. He kicked but the effort was proving futile. Eventually he slumped in his grasp as he carried him out of the back room and to the parking lot. Levi groaned, holding onto the back of his waistcoat.

_This is where I die. This is the end of for me,_ Levi thought. _I can’t wait to be in the newspapers._

“Be careful asshole!” he yelled as he threw him in the passenger seat of the sleek looking black car. It seemed pretty expensive, Levi was sure bartenders didn’t earn this much money? Appearances could be deceiving he supposed. Maybe he was some drug dealer, or a pimp. Oh God, he’d rather be murdered than sold into prostitution.

It was a silent car ride, Erwin seemed to attempt to say something a few times but he mostly remained quiet as he drove the stubborn college student to the hospital. Levi’s mind was racing with all possibilities and how to defend himself in said circumstances. Now was a time he wished he had his pocket knife.

Luckily enough, when they got to the ER, it turned out that there was nothing wrong with him. Another positive was Levi didn’t get murdered in the process.

“Levi huh?” Erwin said as he opened the car door for Levi who got in reluctantly. It was too far of a walk to walk home. He might as well take the offer. Since he got him to the ER in one piece, he trusted he’d take him away from it in one too. “Like the company that sells jeans?”

Levi sighed as he did his seatbelt and waited for Erwin to get in the other side. It wasn’t the first time someone had said that.

“Yes. Like the jeans company.” He answered; irritated. He didn’t dislike his name but it sure was annoying to have people associate it with a clothing line. Damn those popular brands. Fortunately for him, Erwin didn’t ask any more questions about whatever he saw on the form he had to fill out.

The ride back was surprisingly more peaceful, or maybe it was just because Levi was no longer haunted by the busy thoughts of what could happen to him. He was more at ease now. He looked out the window, watching all the houses and nature flash before him. His vision was still a little hazy.

“I’ll drop you off at the college then.” Erwin mentioned, Levi turned to look at him briefly.

“Why are you being so generous?” he asked. “I hope you’re not expecting me to owe you one or something.”

Erwin chuckled, turning the corner and noticing the college building up ahead. It wouldn’t be much longer now. His laughter was concerning.

“It’s just in my nature I suppose. I couldn’t just leave you there could I? You presume I’m some kind of heartless monster.” He responded to the question. Levi huffed. Soon enough, he pulled up outside the college. “Here we are. Take care of that injury okay?”

“…Thank you.” Levi mumbled, unstrapping himself and getting out of the car. Erwin smiled at him.

“No problem Levi.”

Levi watched as the man drove off in that fancy car of his. He inhaled deeply the fresh air and ran his fingers through his hair. What a weird night. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked in the building then up to his room. He was happy to get a good night’s rest.

However, he had a feeling he’d be seeing a lot more of Erwin in time to come.


	4. Titan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji surprises Levi with a new feline friend, but what the hell is he supposed to do with a cat in a college that bans pets?

“Oh my god Levi what have you done?” had been Hanji’s remark when she’d seen the state of his face. Levi scoffed.

“Just a little scuffle at the bar that’s all…” he told her, batting her prying eyes away from him. He didn’t want her to cause a fuss over a black eye. It was a little unattractive sure, but it wasn’t anything to gush over. People got injuries like this all the time. “But you would’ve known that if you’d have picked up your phone so you could take me to the ER.”

Although he couldn’t feel a little self-conscious when she outwardly stared right at him.

“You went to the ER?” she had questioned and he nodded, explaining what happened exactly at the bar. From the fight to being thrown in the car of a bartender (a rather attractive one at that) and taken to the emergency room. She grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry, I was a bit preoccupied.”

Levi made a noise of disgust. He didn’t want to hear any more of it.

 

“Leeeeeeeeeeeeeviiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” a familiar shriek ruffled Levi’s feathers at 7 in the morning on a Sunday. The mop of black hair shuffled beneath the covers as his door slammed open. What the hell was four eyes doing here this early? Slowly, he pushed himself up and didn’t bother to fix the atrocity of a bed-head he had. One would almost think she was still his girlfriend with the amount of time she spent with him – like a fly buzzing around a pile of shit.

When his tired eyes glanced over, that’s when he saw _it._ It being a fuzzy ginger mess cradled in her arms. Was that a tail? Yes, no doubt about it. That was a large bushy tail. Hanji had crashed into his room at 7, on a weekend, holding a cat.

Levi rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He took a double take and in fact, the cat was still indeed resting there. It seemed quite content in her arms, or it was dead of course. What was she doing with it? There was no way you’d be allowed to keep a cat in the dormitories. Pets were strictly against the rules.

“Hanji…I’m going to ask you a question,” he said calmly. He didn’t have the energy to yell at her this early. She stared back at him, a questioning look in her eyes. She nodded slowly. “Why, of all things, do you have a _cat_?”

She rushed over to him so he could get a better look at the feline, who looked right at him with green eyes. So it wasn’t dead after all.

“Oh Levi you have to help me! Look at him he’s so cute! Isn’t he cute Levi?” Hanji spoke in a rushed voice, her words overlapping one another. The cat meowed loudly. Levi clenched his fists into the bed sheets. He sighed.

“If you think I want anything to do with that cat you’ve officially lost your goddamn mind.” He stated, eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the cat in question. Hanji frowned.

“Please just keep him for a little while. I won’t tell anyone I swear! Look at him, please Levi, he’s injured I couldn’t just leave him!”

“And why can’t you keep him?”

“Unlike you Mr. I hate people, I actually have to room with someone that makes it kind of hard to keep him a secret. I’ll pay for the food and everything, please just keep him until he gets better! Plus, Moblit is kind of allergic to cats. Pleeeeeeeeeease Levi!”

“Hanji this isn’t a good idea-“

“Thank you! His name is Titan because he’s big and fat. Thank you so much Levi!”

Without another word, Hanji dumped the cat on the bed and was out the door. He couldn’t believe this. She just walked in and left a cat on his bed. He wanted to kick it off for getting his filthy paws and cat fur all over his freshly washed sheets but he found it hard to do so when he caught sight of the bandage wrapped around his leg. Titan stared at him and meowed causing Levi to shush him. To his surprise, Titan didn’t make another noise.

Hesitantly, Levi reached over and pet him. He was soft and like Hanji said, there was a lot of weight on the poor thing. No surprise that he’d hurt himself. Titan purred contentedly at the affection. Levi wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the cat. He certainly couldn’t keep it here; he’d get busted for sure.

He figured that he’d have to give it a day or two – just until he figured something out. Hanji would surely castrate him if he kicked him out. He cringed at the thought. Did he know anyone who could take care of Titan? He barely had friends on campus never mind outside. What could he do?

Titan limped after him everywhere he went for the rest of the day. Granted, he mostly stayed in his dorm. He was quiet and Levi appreciated that, if he were loud there was much more of a chance he’d get caught. Although he wasn’t sure what he was going to do when he had class. He’d have to leave the cat there and pray he wouldn’t be ratted out. When was dorm inspection day anyway?

Levi had fed him some leftovers of his meal which he gladly ate up. He had to say, it was kind of fun looking after someone. Even if it was some huge monster of a cat that Hanji had seemingly picked up out of nowhere. The cat seemed nicely groomed for a stray. He worried that the clumsy woman had stolen someone’s pet.

That night, Levi got into bed and stared up at the ceiling. He was feeling quite drowsy and a little frustrated that Hanji hadn’t come back. Didn’t she promise food and supplies? Titan seemed alright for now. He was taken a bit aback when he felt a large warmth suddenly heat up on his legs. He jerked a bit, glancing down to see Titan pawing at his legs before curling up. There was no way he could move now.

He sighed, smiling a bit. He had to say, having a cat for a day wasn’t so bad. Maybe he liked him a little, just a little. He laid his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. However, the warmth did slightly remind him of what it was like to sleep with someone else. He missed that, he hadn’t realised how cold it was to sleep in a bed by yourself. A cat wasn’t much to sympathise with.

Levi never considered himself lonely, but maybe he was a little.

 

A couple nights later, Levi found himself at the bar once again. Hanji wasn’t meeting Moblit that night and she was more than happy to do some “cat-sitting” at his place until he got back from the bar. That meant that he couldn’t have too many drinks. Although he knew he was bad at just telling himself “one more” and then drinking out the bar’s supply.

“Hey Erwin, don’t let me drink too much tonight okay?” he said, sitting down in his usual seat and addressing the familiar blond tending the bar. He didn’t know when he and Erwin had gotten all buddy-buddy but he didn’t seem to care.

“Oh Levi, how’s your eye?” Erwin asked, walking over and leaning on the bar before him. Levi shuffled up on his seat a little to avoid getting too close.

“Fine thank you.” He answered, reaching up to feel his face where the bruising had been. It was starting to fade away now. He ended up borrowing a bit of concealer from Hanji though, she liked to make him feel self-conscious about it – forcing him to cover it up if he were to go out anywhere. He didn’t particularly mind. Although the make-up did remind him a little of his high school days where he’d been a little more than experimental.

He shook the thought out of his head as Erwin made him his drink. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that sort of thing. He didn’t regret it, the whole thing had been part of trying to find his identity but some of it was a little cringe-worthy. Thank God he’d moved away from there.

Erwin put the glass in front of him and he took a large sip. One drink after another and he grew a little hazy.

“Hey, Erwin, do you like cats?” he suddenly asked, the bartender looked at him with raised eyebrows. What a random question, he must’ve been thinking. Through the haze of his cloudy alcohol-filled mind, he had suddenly thought that Erwin was a guy who didn’t live at the dormitory. Maybe he could house an injured cat. Then he wouldn’t get bust and Hanji wouldn’t kill him.

Seemed like a plan when you’re half-drunk.

“Cats? I had one as a child so yes I’m rather fond of them I guess? Why do you ask?” he responded positively. Score.

“Do…Do you want one?” Erwin laughed. He was certain that the tired looking college kid sat at the bar opposite him was joking. He had to be kidding right? There was no way he could even have a cat at the college. “I’m serious! I have…a cat and I need somewhere to dump him because I can’t keep him because you know that’s like, breaking the rules and stuff. Can you house a cat? I don’t wanna die.”

The thoughts came out in a slurred mess. He leaned on his hand and looked at the bartender with hopeful eyes. Erwin spluttered a little. He was serious.

“Well I mean I have room for a cat but I don’t know how much time I’d have to care for it-“

“Perfect!”

Levi stumbled to his feet. Erwin reached out to steady him as he almost tripped over the leg of the barstool but he managed to catch himself. He grabbed his glass and drank the remains. Slamming it back on the bar, he looked up to meet Erwin’s gaze.

“When…When does this place close?” he asked. Erwin rolled up his shirt sleeve a little to check the watch on his wrist.

“In 3 hours. I can ask Mike to cover my shift if you need me?” he answered.

“Yeah, do that.”

Somehow he found himself sat in Erwin’s car, still dozy, driving to this guy’s house whilst cradling Titan. His eyelids felt heavy, the time of night dawning on his body. He couldn’t fall asleep just yet. Hanji had already fell asleep in his room whilst looking after the cat when he walked in to snatch him from her.

Levi was jolted awake when the car came to a stop outside a relatively average sized house. It was cleaned up nicely and had a small patio out front. Erwin got out of the car and opened the door for Levi on the other side. He got out with a little difficult due to the fat feline curled up in his arms. Titan’s ears flattened against his head – clearly uncomfortable with the current hold.

“Right this way.” Erwin said as he unlocked his front door and opened it for Levi. He carried in the cat and looked around the hallway. There was practically no clutter to be seen, just old photographs on the wall and a bookshelf to one side. Walking a little further, he noticed the mirror at the other end of the hallway which made him jump a bit at first.

Erwin set his keys in a small bowl on a stand beside the front door. He guided Levi into the lounge. Just like the hallway it was neat and relatively spacious. Levi laid Titan down on the floor and let the cat adjust to the new surroundings. He limped around the room, sniffing various objects with curiosity.

The television was very big, Levi wasn’t sure the TV in the college’s common room was even that big. A rather impressive stereo system accompanied it. How much money did this guy have? There were a couple more grand bookshelves in the room too, filled to the brim with large books. The coffee table didn’t even have much clutter on it. The various remotes, a couple magazines and a small vase with a couple blue and white flowers inside were all that was on it. Levi couldn’t help but flop on the comfy looking sofa. It was so soft and Levi felt himself melt into the comfort.

“I’ll get the supplies in the morning I suppose then,” Erwin had announced, following him into the lounge and watching Titan parade around. He leant down to approach the cat, who instinctively backed up before cautiously approaching him and sniffing his hand. “Levi?”

He looked up to see the black-haired man laying down on the sofa, eyes shut. He’d fallen fast asleep. Erwin sighed and decided it would be best not to move him now. He grabbed a blanket and covered him with it. Levi’s fingers curled around the fluffy material and held it tightly. Erwin stopped, that was a little…cute.

No need for the car again then, he thought. There was no way he was driving him back to the college now. There was no harm in letting him crash. He was still a little drunk after all.


	5. His House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi wakes up at Erwin's place.

Warmth. The sun was blazing down onto his resting body through the grand windows to his right. He shuffled beneath the covers, feeling the soft material rub against his skin. Levi’s eyes fluttered open, vision hazy before staring ahead and seeing the large television screen. No matter how much he rubbed his eyes and squinted, he couldn’t work out for the life of him where the hell he was. Slowly he pushed himself up from under the blanket and stretched. Looking down he realised he was still wearing the clothes from last night. That included a tight pair of skinny jeans which he was certain that because he had slept in them, they had left painful red indents in his skin. He had been tempted to undo the button and zipper and let him stomach breathe a little but he suddenly became aware of his surroundings. This wasn’t his room.  

And when he breathed in, the smell of bacon and eggs wafted in the air. Someone was…cooking? Levi pushed the blanket to one side and swung his legs around to rest his feet on the smooth carpet. The incoming sound of footsteps caught Levi’s attention.

“Oh you’re awake.” The bartender from last night said. Levi looked up and met the blue eyes of Erwin. That’s right. He had crashed at his house for some reason. He was dressed in a way Levi had never seen before, although he supposed he’d only seen him in the usual white dress shirt, black waistcoat and matching bowtie. Seeing him in a casual white t-shirt and brown slacks held up with a belt was strange.

Erwin gestured for Levi to follow him into the dining room. He did so with caution, his memories from last night slowly pouring back into his brain. The dining room was even fancier than the lounge. How much did those paintings cost anyway? He thought that Erwin lived alone so how come he had such a large dining table? Unless there was a ton of friends he hadn’t heard about, it wasn’t like he was a businessman – he was a bartender. Although he did mention something about being with the forces didn’t he?

“I made some breakfast. Please, help yourself.” Erwin told him as he walked over to sit down on one of the chairs with a plate in front. Levi hesitantly followed suit, hoping that the food wasn’t poisoned or something.

“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked, looking down at the food on the plate and stabbing it curiously with his fork. Erwin nodded with a smile, shovelling in a mouthful of food. Watching the man chew and swallow, Levi stared at his food no longer and decides to take a bite.

It’s still hot, the temperature heats his tongue. Not undercooked, nor overcooked. It was surprisingly good and tasty. Compared to the crappy microwave meals he got at the college, this was pretty exhilarating for his taste buds.

He set down his cutlery as he finished the meal, feeling pleasantly satisfied. He sat back in the chair as Erwin ate the remains of his plate. He tried to ignore the slightly uncomfortable feeling in his gut about being in this unfamiliar place with this man he hardly knew.

All thoughts were cut short by a loud meow, Levi turned around to see Titan sat solemnly, now deathly quiet and staring into the room at the doorway. His tail swished as he stared up at the two men sat at the dinner table.

“Oh that’s right…” Levi said, memories of the night before coming back to him in waves. His slightly drunk-self had dumped Titan here for Erwin to look after because he didn’t wish to get busted at college. “The cat.”

At the recognition, Titan mewed loudly. Before Levi got the chance to sigh, a familiar ringtone filled the air and his phone vibrated furiously. The sudden movement in his pocket caused him to jump, Erwin’s eyebrows raised as the song played. He stood up, taking a few steps towards Titan. With a huff, he reached in and grabbed his phone to answer it. And he didn’t even get a word in.

“Levi! Oh God Levi I have terrible news!” Hanji’s exasperated voice cried. What was she babbling on about now? Levi had to take the phone away from his ear as her unholy screeching in the morning whilst he still had a light headache was out of this world.

“Calm down four-eyes, what happened?” he replied in a frustrated tone. He heard her take a deep breath.

“Titan’s gone! I know you told me to look after him and he fell asleep with me last night I swear but whenIwokeupthismorninghewasgoneLevi—“ her words began forming into one long string and Levi had to stop her.

“It’s okay, he’s with me.” He assured her.

“What?”

“I found a safe place for him to stay because I know you’re clinically insane Hanji but you have another thing coming if you think I’m risking my entire education on keeping that cat.”

Titan yowled and Hanji must’ve heard him because she gave a relieved sigh.

“So who did you give him to? I didn’t think you had any friends. Oh! Was it Petra? Aww Levi that’s my ladies’ man! Eren maybe? Eren would’ve taken him off your hands I bet.” She began to ramble.

“No, the bartender. The one who took me to the hospital when you were too busy fucking your boyfriend.”

Levi wondered if he’d struck a nerve and took a glance over at Erwin who was resting his elbows on the table and watching with amusement.

But then once again he had to take his phone away from his ear as the woman on the other end erupted into monstrous laughter. After a solid minute, Levi wondered if she was ever going to stop laughing.

“Are you kidding? Is this a joke? Levi oh my God! You can’t just give a bartender your cat! And you call me crazy, how drunk were you exactly?” she exclaimed between breaths. Levi huffed, feeling his ears go a little hot from embarrassment.

“Just a bit.” He protested.

Then there was the chorus of laughter once again before she started making kissing noises down the phone and Levi resisted the urge to hang up then and there.

“Okay well I’ll leave you to your little love fest, have fun!” she announced.

“Hanji-!”

She had hung up. Levi looked at his phone, pulling a disgruntled expression. He shoved the device back in his pocket and looked over at Erwin.

“Was that your girlfriend?” he suddenly asked. Levi scoffed. Feeling unhappy that he couldn’t exactly just walk out or cause a scene in this man’s house.

“No. Ex. We’re just friends.” He admitted. He would also like to admit that his life had been quite dull since they stopped dating. Hanji was a great friend but it was never the same after she broke up with him. They could still have a good laugh from time to time but without the kissing afterwards, Levi felt a bit too empty. Maybe he was ready to bring someone new into his life.

“Oh I see, never the same after you break up huh?” Erwin responded, standing up and taking the dishes in his hands.

“I guess not.”

Erwin took the dirty plates and cutlery into the kitchen, Titan following him obediently still with the limp in his step. Levi also found himself wandering into the room as Erwin washed the dishes. He leaned against the doorway as Erwin stopped running the water and turned his attention to the feline sat at his feet.

“Suppose you’re hungry too,” he spoke softly to the cat. Titan mewed. “Good thing I got you something this morning huh?”

Levi was almost bewildered at the treatment of the animal. He spoke with such soft affection, petting Titan all the while. Erwin had grabbed a small dish and poured cat food into it. Titan’s tail swished as he munched happily at the food set before him.

“I’ll get going I guess, I can repay you for the breakfast or something-“

“Don’t worry about it.” Erwin cut him short. Levi stared at him but Erwin just smiled at him.

“You sure?” he questioned, uncertain that he should be so accepting of him. He supposed that he didn’t kidnap him or anything when he took him to the hospital so this wasn’t so bad.

“Yes,” he nodded. “Give me your phone I’ll give you my number, you can let me know when you want to come see the cat.”

Levi was taken aback by the request. That’s right. He should probably regularly visit Titan, and Hanji probably would want to as well. Make sure he’s getting on alright. Plus he supposed it gave him more reason to see Erwin. He found himself feeling weird thinking about that.

With hesitance, he reached into his pocket and handed the bartender his smartphone. He noticed his eyebrows furrow as he fumbled with the device before offering it back to him. Levi smirked, somewhat amused at his inability to work with it.

“It’s in there,” He announced. “Call me whenever.”

Levi nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much happened in this one I guess, haha sorry. More next time!


End file.
